My first time aboard Saudia Airlines (definitely won't be my last)

In recent days I flew for the first time with Saudia Airlines., Saudi Arabia's state carrier. I had read a lot about this company, but I had not yet been able to fly there. I was very concerned about the experience on board, mainly related to dress code and in general to what the service could be. I must say that everything was really (almost) perfect.

I did a total of four routes. I flew from Athens to Jeddah and then from the Red Sea city to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and back. The two legs to and from Athens were operated on board an A320, while the trip from JED to KUL was operated on the Dreamliner

Saudia's fleet

For short- to medium-haul routes Saudia has Airbus A320s and A321s, configured with two classes of service: economy and business. Long-haul is operated with A330s, B777s and B787s. Again, almost the entire Saudia fleet is outfitted with two classes of service, although in the coming years many aircraft will be operating with new first-class suites on board as well.

Jeddah Airport

This airport was built to become the number one airport in the Persian Gulf area, with the goal of handling more than 45 million passengers each year. The airport's importance stems from its proximity to Mecca, a holy site for the Muslim religion, which will soon see a direct train connection to the airport.

The stopover is beautiful even though there is still a lot of disorganization both in the signage and the staff. When we disembarked from the plane from Athens, all the passengers, who like me had never transited this airport before, followed the signs for the transfers: too bad it was the wrong direction.

We walked through areas that were still small construction sites, lacking air conditioning and wi-fi, with no one stopping us until we arrived in the customs area only to be sent back.

Reaching the correct terminal, BEAUTIFUL, nothing was working. The escalators were KO and the elevators were on fire alarm and there was no staff to help the bewildered passengers.

The lounge is fantastic and the service again was at levels that only a few companies can offer.

On board

Here I was really amazed: excellently trained staff, impeccable service, and most importantly, even a real on-board chef who cooks dishes on the spot and is not just in charge of warming the food.

From the iconic Arabic coffee, offered on board all Gulf airlines, to in-flight service, the staff was always present and attentive to passengers' needs.

Recently Saudia also opened job positions to Saudi women and has eased all restrictions related to dress code. So on the return trip, when I realized that I could embark in shorts instead of long pants, I took advantage of it.

Most importantly, it is not a constraint that affects (finally) only men; women are also free to board with bare knees or arms.

In conclusion

Saudia is a carrier that often launches attractive offers to fly to Asia at competitive prices, plus the stopover in Jeddah is more convenient than flying to Dubai or Abu Dhabi shortening the trip by more than two hours. If you don't mind not being served and not being allowed to bring alcohol on board, it is a carrier to try at least once.

Being a SkyTeam member those who have status with ITA Airways can take advantage of it (or at least can try) to join the fantastic lounge AlFursan even traveling in economy.